Book Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #1.5)

I am often drawn to books with broken characters in them.  For me, it emphasizes the idea that we, as humans, have good and bad in us and the distinction comes from how we treat others.  Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi is a novella in the Shatter Me series, in between book 1 and 2.  It focuses on the character of Warner who is the antagonist in the first book.

Another beautiful cover from this author.  The head text fits perfectly.  There is no debate in Warner's mind that he is the one that Juliette will choose in the end and this shows it perfectly.  The eye is closed, showing that he is reflecting internally and not considering the rational suggestions of those around him.  He goes above and beyond what would be normal for an escaped prisoner for Juliette because he feels like they have a connection which is rare, to say the least, for Warner.

This cover reminds me of a friend from college.  She had been out drinking and engaging in other self destructive habits and had basically hit rock bottom.  She came to me with her mascara running down her face, just like how this cover looks, asking for help.  That event looks eerily similar to this image on the cover.

Why it is such a wonderful novella...

This novella delves perfectly into the mind of someone that has been beaten down to the bottom and dragged himself up. Warner is so damaged.  His father has shown up after he was shot by Juliette in her escape. His father is really the root of all of his problems to begin with.  I love that the bad guy in this book is not Warner as we were led to previously believe.

Have you ever seen a tempered glass window shatter?  All of the glass is still there and the window is still standing up in its frame but the cracks in the glass make it impossible to see through.  It is still functional to keep the elements out but it is obviously broken.

That's Warner to me. He reached out to Juliette because he related to her.  He is obsessive, demanding and has a deep need to be in control.  He is a truly pathetic character but he is one that I want to fix and tell him everything will be okay.

I'm on Team Warner now.  I'll go ahead and fangirl about this one because it is so rare for me to sympathize so earnestly with the bad guy.

4.5/4 stars